Southwark libraries review
Public consultation
Thank you to all residents who submitted their comments on how we maintain a high quality service in Southwark. This is at a time when the council has to implement significant savings over the next three years due to major reductions in central government funding.
It would be unrealistic to expect the library service's budget to remain unaffected. This year we withdrew the mobile library service, reduced the running costs of Canada Water library and will undertake a staff restructure. We are also considering new ways of delivering the home library service in order to save the £150,000 running costs in this area. In addition to all of this, over the next two years we have to find almost £400,000 in savings.
We are committed to delivering these savings while also improving our library service. Recent and forthcoming improvements include:
- A brand new library at Canada Water which opened 28 November 2011. The library includes a large selection of books, space for cultural and social events, learning facilities and a café
- The refurbishment and modernisation of John Harvard Library in Borough High Street
- Proposals for a new library building in Camberwell
- Increased levels of usage including over 2 million library visits last year
- An upgrade to the public ICT network which will be completed in 2011
